UBP raised to $79 per day

[SeaShark]

Whew. Just went back and read a bunch of your other posts. I feel much better now knowing you're this way to lots of other people. I won't take it personally.

 

And for the record, I would say the fact that you've taken time to direct 3 posts at ME (having nothing to do with the actual subject matter of the thread) sort of says you DO care. Just like you seem to care about pointing out lots of other "issues" with people's posts.

 

And finally, you might want to reconsider the difference between being "judgmental" and having an opinion about someone's behavior. I would be judgmental if I said every long-time poster on CC is obnoxious. That's an untrue generalization. That's not the same as saying I find your responses to me obnoxious.

 

Carry on not caring....

Welcome to the brangle....thanks again for sharing the judgmental opinion of yours. It helps that there are people like you who rather judge others than respond to the actual topic. If you weren't here I would be able to criticize anyone for criticizing others.

[HowardK]

I need a drink after just going through this thread! Thank goodness I have the UBP at home with no gratuity!!

[All-ready2cruise]

I need a drink after just going through this thread! Thank goodness I have the UBP at home with no gratuity!!

 

Agreed... I may need another glass of wine... or maybe a whole darn bottle... no grats though. :p:D

 

Cheers

[Regguy]

My point was that if they had actually identified that price point, they wouldn't need to make these frequent price adjustments. The fact that they do is an indicator that they haven't quite yet identified the "profitable" price. Once they do, the price increase will become infrequent.

 

 

The original price per day attached to the UBP was based on how much they need to charge is only the people who want it buy it. Now that they give it away to "practically everyone", the price they need per individual will be much less....I'm guessing about 18% of the "cost" of the UBP. :rolleyes:;)

 

Yeah, my guess is that have been a bit surprised by how this has played out. I would guess the original intention with the beverage package was to actually sell beverage packages. Most people spend well over half the time on a cruise sleeping or in port, it's very hard for all but the heaviest drinkers to pound for 7 or 10 or 14 days straight, and alcohol is far cheaper wholesale than resale. If you can get people to pony up $45 or $55 or whatever the right price point was, you can't help but make money. Yeah, you worry a little about those who will view UBP as a challenge to drink as much as they can, but for every one of those there are ten who will pay for UBP but then have days where they are too tired after an active excursion to get close to $50 worth.

 

Then maybe you offer the beverage package or some other perk that is relatively inexpensive for you to provide in bulk to attract people to Caribbean cruises during hurricane season or other slower selling times of year. Or you have a standard OBC promotion most of the time but then run occasional free dining or beverage promos. But what I think maybe happened is that people got accustomed to the promos, and either waited to book or booked and just waited for the promo to come along so it could be added later. Now, everyone expects free beverages and to take it away becomes difficult. Which leaves NCL with two choices. Jack up the base price of their cruises, and risk losing market differentiation from Celebrity, etc. Or jack up the price of the package so that you can disguise a co-pay as a gratuity, even though the base price is now so high that virtually nobody will really buy it and "18 percent" is entirely untethered from the amount of alcohol actually being consumed. I bet NCL would like to go back to the days of actually selling drink packages for profit, but that ship maybe has sailed, so now the game is making the package base as high as possible but not so high that everyone starts seeing through the fiction that the co-pay is merely tips.

[Regguy]

FYI -- it appears the new price of the UBP has now been incorporated into the pricing of the co-pay on the "free" beverage package. It now prices at $198 for 7 days for 2 people. Pricing the 14-day Iceland cruise next year, the "free" UBP and the 6 "free" visits to specialty restaurants now adds nearly $450 to the cruise fare.

[MicCanberra]

Just read on another thread that the UBP is now $79 per day. For those who have to pay gratuities, that is an additional $1.80 per day. It does not seem like a lot, but the cost has now been increased from $64 to $79 in less than 2 months. For a seven day cruise, the gratuities are now $99.54, which is not a lot considering the free drinks, but it is the principle of offering a "free" drink package and increasing the cost to increase gratuities.

 

So it is Free when it is not really free.:(

[cruisejunkie76]

never booked the UBP even when it was cheaper then it is now.

I always pay as I go. That package was not worth to book back then and it is not worth to book now

[Demonyte]

So it is Free when it is not really free.:(

 

Drinks are free, service (for non-suite passengers) is not.

[ilovetotravel1977]

Yeah, my guess is that have been a bit surprised by how this has played out. I would guess the original intention with the beverage package was to actually sell beverage packages. Most people spend well over half the time on a cruise sleeping or in port, it's very hard for all but the heaviest drinkers to pound for 7 or 10 or 14 days straight, and alcohol is far cheaper wholesale than resale. If you can get people to pony up $45 or $55 or whatever the right price point was, you can't help but make money. Yeah, you worry a little about those who will view UBP as a challenge to drink as much as they can, but for every one of those there are ten who will pay for UBP but then have days where they are too tired after an active excursion to get close to $50 worth.

 

Then maybe you offer the beverage package or some other perk that is relatively inexpensive for you to provide in bulk to attract people to Caribbean cruises during hurricane season or other slower selling times of year. Or you have a standard OBC promotion most of the time but then run occasional free dining or beverage promos. But what I think maybe happened is that people got accustomed to the promos, and either waited to book or booked and just waited for the promo to come along so it could be added later. Now, everyone expects free beverages and to take it away becomes difficult. Which leaves NCL with two choices. Jack up the base price of their cruises, and risk losing market differentiation from Celebrity, etc. Or jack up the price of the package so that you can disguise a co-pay as a gratuity, even though the base price is now so high that virtually nobody will really buy it and "18 percent" is entirely untethered from the amount of alcohol actually being consumed. I bet NCL would like to go back to the days of actually selling drink packages for profit, but that ship maybe has sailed, so now the game is making the package base as high as possible but not so high that everyone starts seeing through the fiction that the co-pay is merely tips.

 

OOohhh, this is a great reply. Bang on.

[insidecabin]

Pooblem for cruiselines now is everyone is offering packages, even princess on UK bookings has Drinks included on a lot of dates.

 

RCI and Celebrity have no perks on GTY rates so have a lot of flexibility on pricing with that model if they need to sell of inventory.

[BrandoMan13]

FYI -- it appears the new price of the UBP has now been incorporated into the pricing of the co-pay on the "free" beverage package. It now prices at $198 for 7 days for 2 people. Pricing the 14-day Iceland cruise next year, the "free" UBP and the 6 "free" visits to specialty restaurants now adds nearly $450 to the cruise fare.

 

So its not really free, but actually significantly discounted.

 

If you actually paid for these UBP and SDP packages it would cost that $450 and a whole lot more.

 

Its similar to the "free" rooms I get in las vegas or atlantic city, but after taxes and resort fees, my "free" room can cost $45-50 or so a night. It's still a deal because anyone without the comp is paying that $45-50 plus the price of the room.

 

I'd say if you dont want the UBP and SDP "freebies" because the 18% tacked on makes it cost prohibitive or not worth it to you, then don't take them.

[NLH Arizona]

I'd say if you dont want the UBP and SDP "freebies" because the 18% tacked on makes it cost prohibitive or not worth it to you, then don't take them.

My thoughts as well. No one is forcing anyone to take either the beverage package or dining package; you can pay as you go for any drinks or specialty dining meals that you would like.

[janpo]

Or you can sail another line...over and over...same things said.

[EleventyBangBang]

Does a Long Island Iced Tea fall under the 15$ minimum? I know this is usually a "premium" drink at most bars.

[hawkeyetlse]

Pooblem for cruiselines now is everyone is offering packages, even princess on UK bookings has Drinks included on a lot of dates.

With Princess (US) we had to go all the way up to a balcony to get the beverage package perk and some OBC, and even after subtracting the OBC from the total price, that booking is going to cost us twice as much per person per day as our last balcony on NCL (which was a spa balcony). :eek:

[bjlaac]

But you still want them to bring back free gratuities as a perk so "we could all be winners"? What makes you believe that the crew are being paid in one case and not in the other?

 

I don't, I think the gratuity thing is all about profit and whether its on booze or stateroom, NCL's getting a cut. And, my guess is that since the room gratuities are not based on some arbitrary cost they eliminated it.

 

For someone like me, the UBP is not appealing because the gratuities are more than I would spend on drinks (not a drinker) and everything else is not a significant benefit e.g shore credit, internet or even the limited dining plan. Yet I'm forced to pay higher base rates and get nothing in return.

 

If you are a drinker and would purchase that plan anyway you save over $1,000 for two. I don't have that opportunity any would feel better if I at least saved a couple of hundred on free gratuities.

 

In the end it doesn't mater since each individual needs to make their own choice and if NCL or some other line gets the business. I sail NCL knowing full well others are saving much more than me but only because they spend much more than me. What I don't like is the constant changing of prices beyond what is reasonable.

Edited March 1, 2016 by bjlaac

[anniegb]

Does a Long Island Iced Tea fall under the 15$ minimum? I know this is usually a "premium" drink at most bars.

 

Yes - I drank a couple on my January Epic cruise but they were not very good.

 

Annie

[Regguy]

OOohhh, this is a great reply. Bang on.

 

Thanks. Once every year or two I write a good one. :0)

[jmele999]

Does anybody have an estimate as to how many people on a given cruise are receiving the "free" UBP on a weekly basis. For example, on the Jewel class ships, is it fair to estimate that between 700 and 1000 guests have the free UBP.

[bjlaac]

Does anybody have an estimate as to how many people on a given cruise are receiving the "free" UBP on a weekly basis. For example, on the Jewel class ships, is it fair to estimate that between 700 and 1000 guests have the free UBP.

 

I don't believe there is anyway to tell or find out

[purpletequila]

That is a lot of money for a drink package for 2 over a week. It has gone up what about $20 a day in a year.

 

It's completely ridiculous.

[purpletequila]

NCL is doing some serious market experimentation that could burn them if they're not careful.

 

I have purchased UBP three times. I've had it promo'd twice. Personally, I'm not a buyer @ $93 pp/pd. Perhaps its just a gag to up the "value" of the promo'd UBP to collect more Grat/SC -- which is also kinda crappy.

 

I have used Rum Runners in the past, and I will dust them off if needed.

 

As NCL continues to experiment with higher prices and no significant product improvement (see this Gem PH for an example), once loyal passengers will continue to look to other lines, just as they've been doing since FDR came aboard. An increasing number may decide to leave the ships behind altogether...

 

And people like me who have been seriously considering (and even booked and canceled after multiple changes last Fall) NCL, will never try them out.

[purpletequila]

Can't say I'm really surprised to see the price going up when I read on another thread people saying that 15 drinks in a given day doesn't cover their needs. Based on my recent experience these unlimited drinks packages are seriously impacting the atmosphere onboard. I'm not a big drinker but I'm also far from a being prohibitionist - there were just far more people "over served" on my past two cruises than on all the previous combined.

 

On the Jewel I even overheard a conversation between two well lubricated gents loudly describing how they had to drink like "MF-ers" from dawn to dusk just to "break even". Unfortunately they didn't care that my 3 year old and 5 year old heard their colourful language either.

 

I think you have NCL to thankful that as these 2 probably didn't even know what day it was. When you charge people more than what they deem as fair, this is what you get. Cruisers trying to "get their money's worth." It's really a stupid policy from NCL.

[MicCanberra]

I think you have NCL to thankful that as these 2 probably didn't even know what day it was. When you charge people more than what they deem as fair, this is what you get. Cruisers trying to "get their money's worth." It's really a stupid policy from NCL.

 

I agree, you often see and hear people saying 'I have got my money's worth today' but they keep drinking to make up for yesterday or maybe tomorrow.:(